1, Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for checking Personal Computer (PC) security, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for checking PC security capable of changing the security configuration of a user's PC according to a control policy and a check result.
2, Discussion of Related Art
With the rapid development of information and communication technology such as the Internet, cyber-threats of computer hacking, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, etc., are increasing. To protect PCs from these threats, anti-virus programs, personal firewalls, etc., are widely used.
In general, PC security vulnerabilities result from errors in an operating system security configuration and failure to install security patches. As for failure to install security patches, a patch management system that performs a mandatory patch operation in PCs in a network has been provided and guarantees a specific level of security in the network. However, an operating system security configuration directly depends on a user's manual setting, and thus the level of PC security is determined according to the user's security knowledge.
Most conventional PC-security check programs check the vulnerability of PC security and output the check results to users, and the users manually configure the security elements of operating systems used in PCs. However, such PC-security check programs merely output security check results and cannot manage the security configurations of PCs in a network all together.